eucalyptus view cooperative, escondido, calif.

affordable / merit

Because Eucalyptus View sits alongside a busy boulevard, Studio E Architects thought it deserved a highway-scaled entry marker. Project architect John Sheehan designed a large wooden trellis over the affordable housing community's front gate, announcing its presence just as enthusiastically as neighboring signs and buildings proclaim theirs. Such examples of sensitivity to site and scale abound throughout the project, and the judges noticed. “I was blown away by the control of this thing,” said one.

Modeled after Southern California bungalow courts, Eucalyptus View consists of four two-story buildings with six flats each. Each dwelling opens to the outdoors on at least two sides to capture light and fresh air. And Sheehan vertically interlocked the units, trading one high-volume ceiling in each downstairs apartment for the same favor on the reverse side of the upstairs flat.